


the name on the back (jerseys in real time)

by jamesiee



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, Goalie Appreciation, NHL!Chowder, Wordcount: 100-500
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 23:32:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12331026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesiee/pseuds/jamesiee
Summary: Chris's 26th birthday





	the name on the back (jerseys in real time)

**Author's Note:**

> For Day Seven of [Chowder Week](http://chowderweek.tumblr.com/post/165693095344/chris-chow-turns-21-on-october-10-2017-what): Full Moon 
> 
> completely unbeta'd so any and all mistakes are my own.

Chris stands alone in the tunnel, shifting back and forth on his skates to work off the nervous energy that’s followed him from the dressing room. He knows from years,  _years_ , of experience that he won’t feel settled until he’s skated around his crease and gotten comfortable between the pipes. The movement helps a little bit though.

He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, taking comfort in the artificial ice smell that all arenas he’s ever played in have. The sound is different here though. The roar of the crowd is muffled but loud, almost drowning out the music and the announcer’s voice. It wraps itself around him, tightly enough that the rest of the walk down the tunnel feels like a dream.

“...and now, your 2022-2023 San Jose Sharks starting goaltender. From San Francisco California, CHRISTOPHER CHOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.”

Chris steps on to the ice and it’s like the volume of the crowd has been turned up all the way finally. He raises his stick in acknowledgement, does the half lap that he was told to do, and skates over to join his teammates where they’re lined up at the blueline after their home opener introductions. Chris bumps shoulders with Petrov, his backup, who grins and knocks his blocker into Chris’s helmet, knocking the mask down. Chris rolls his eyes and push it back up. Petrov elbows him again. This time when Chris looks over, Petrov jerks his chin towards the jumbotron so Chris looks up, and his breath catches in his throat.

The cameras pan over the crowd. Chris remembers being in that sea of turquoise, white, and black when he was a kid, but it’s even more impressive from this end. He never saw people wearing a #55 San Jose Sharks jersey though. Chris can’t keep count of how many he sees now. Like the one he’s wearing, CHOW is stretched across the shoulders of the jersey, and everyone wearing it looks as proud as Chris is to be wearing it on home ice in the Shark Tank.

Chris tears his eyes away from the screen and looks out through the glass, wanting to see the jerseys in real time just to make sure they’re real. He’s distracted trying to spot one that he doesn’t hear it at first, but after he spots a young girl wearing a Chow jersey and right against the glass, what he thought was just thousands of voices shouting to their own tunes comes together in one cohesive sound.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” the crowd sings.

Chris’s jaw drops.  

“Happy birthday dear Ch-ow, happy birthday to you!” They finish with another loud cheer and Chris’s teammates all bang their sticks on the ice, hooting and hollering and adding to the cacophony. Chris knows there’s a camera on his face, and knows that it’s probably picking up the tears that have sprung to his eyes.

He doesn’t care.

Chris raises his stick again, this time in thanks, and he didn’t think it was possible for the crowd to get louder, but they do.

It’s a hell of a birthday gift.

**Author's Note:**

> i suffered through making a timeline cause i used numbers, so im gonna share: chris graduated in 2018 and he got signed by the sharks right away, but played in the ahl for a couple seasons (as most goalies do) before getting called up and staying up as the backup for the 2021-22 season until the starter retires in the off-season and chris becomes the starter in the 2022-23 season (and stays as the starter for a very long time)
> 
> im on [tumblr](http://pongpalace.tumblr.com/) if you wanna hangout! :)


End file.
